SAN ANTONIO – When school is out for the summer, food sometimes runs out for families across San Antonio.
Many rely on schools to feed their children breakfast and lunch during the school year.
So when classrooms clear out for the summer, cafeterias stay open to nourish families year-round.
>>>MAP: FIND FREE SUMMER MEAL SITES ACROSS SAN ANTONIO
A full belly for her kids means a full heart for Jessica Robles, who brought her two children to Murnin Elementary in the Northside Independent School District to eat a hot lunch.
“We also support my mother-in-law, and my husband just graduated from school,” Robles said. “It’s mental help, too.”
Quirina Dehoyos feels the same. She brought her three children to eat at Murnin Elementary School.
“As far as food right now, you know, we make ends meet, but it’s still not enough,” Dehoyos said.
The financial benefits are also there for Cynthia Garcia, a mother of four. She also enjoys the sense of schedule that summertime school meals provide.
“Feeding my four boys, it gets pretty pricey at home,” Garcia said. “And it helps them stay on a routine.”
Northside ISD, like many local school districts, provides free breakfast and lunch during the summer to children 18 and under, regardless of the school they attend or the district they call home.
>>>CHECK OUT LOCATIONS, TIMES FOR NISD FREE MEALS
“You can go to whatever site, regardless of age or school enrollment,” said Aimee Metzger, registered dietitian & special diets coordinator for Northside ISD. “You can also just be a community member. You don’t even have to be a North Side student.”
The San Antonio Independent School District also provides free breakfast and lunch, no matter a child’s enrollment.
At Japhet Elementary School, Brenda Williams has been serving up meals in the cafeteria for 32 years.
“Walking tacos, corn, charro beans and oranges for fruit,” Williams said, reciting the day’s lunch menu.
Williams described what walking tacos are with KSAT.
“A walking taco is the San Antonio Independent School District version of nachos,” Williams said with a smile.
In SAISD, parents or guardians can also purchase a cafeteria meal for $5.50.
>>>SAISD to offer free breakfast, lunch during summer
“Some of them might not have meals at home,” said Kimber Dillon, the SAISD executive director for child nutrition. “So it’s extremely important that we open up our doors Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch so that they are able to actually eat some meals that they might not at home.”
“It means a lot as a mother, now and as a grandmother, it really means a lot because no grandmother wants their babies to go hungry,” said Williams. “Come on out!”
Read also